Eighth Child
by OphidianVenom
Summary: A work in progress which details the origin of Orochimaru. 5th chapter get, return after three month leave.
1. Chapter 1

No written records of Orochimaru's origin exist. He was merely a young teenager found in the outskirts of Konohagakure, not one had a clue where he had traveled from—and Orochimaru was never willing to divulge such information. To this day, he has not shared his past with any human… but, the snakes he shares a blood kinship with have been around for several hundreds of years before his birth.

Orochimaru's past begins as many ancient legends, within a small yet prosperous mountain village hidden away from any other civilization. This village was not a home to ninja; instead, it was home to many talented performers, artists and artisans. Beautiful treasures of paintings and textiles were traded on the rare chance that outsiders visited the village. It seemed like a joyful village which thrived close to a great river—but something much more sinister lurked within the carved stone walls.

This village was also home to a serpent cult, one which was housed within the village's great shrine. The shrine stood out boldly within the village, for it was the largest building and painted a brilliant hue of red. The shrine's contents were forbidden to outsiders. A sacred scroll rest in the heart of this shrine, the scroll kept the records of those who have signed the blood contract with Manda.

* * *

More than fifty years before, an older shrine maiden hurried across the village streets under the cover of darkness. She concealed her appearance with a heavy overcoat and hood. Within her arms was a day old infant, she kept the child quiet by covering his mouth. This woman stopped at the bank of the village's river, and stared into the raging waters which originated from the peaks of the mountain. She threw the infant into the water without second thought, and returned to her home before the full moon could peak through the clouds and illuminate the village.

The next morning, a few villagers gathered before the shrine maiden's household. Only a high priestess was allowed into the humble dwelling, to console the weeping mother. A small, silver urn stood before the great butsudan which sat in the center of that room. The shrine maiden had filled it with dirt and pebbles, not the cremated bones of an infant.

The high priestess spoke after the maiden had sobbed for several hours. "Your seventh child died the same way, O-amae?" The maiden's tears were smeared away from Amae's eyes. "Yes," She answered after clearing her throat, "A snake cornered me and ordered the child to be sacrificed. He ate the child and spit out bones." Another wail shrieked from Amae's lungs, as she continued to grieve.

That child's father watched in the corner of that room, he stared coldly toward his wife and the high priestess. He knew this was a lie, his wife told him she had killed the child. The purpose for doing so was horridly shallow; his wife desperately wanted a female child to take her place within the shrine. All their previous children had been male. He'd decided to make a bold statement with his wife later, that he was only going to allow her to birth one more child. He figured the timing was fair, since the number eight was considered lucky and prosperous within the village.

"Today is a good day for a funeral, my child. We will allow the baby to rest among your other children." The high priestess rose to her feet, and beckoned Amae to do the same. "You shouldn't give your children such weak girl's names before they're born. The serpents do not look kindly upon the weak." Amae took the silver urn from the butsudan, and cradled it in her arms as if it were an infant. The two women left the dwelling.

* * *

Nearly a year had passed before Amae became pregnant once again. This time, she had taken the high priestess's advice and given the child a strong name more suitable for a boy: Orochimaru. Amae assumed the child was simply stubborn, allowing itself to rebirth under terms which were against the will of its mother. She had hoped that giving the child a boy's name may trick the child into thinking she now desired a boy, which would cause the child to manifest as a girl.

Amae gave birth alone, as the village's customs dictated. All the prayers were unanswered when Amae discovered the gender of her eighth child—Orochimaru was born a male. She stared in disbelief, and instantly thought about killing this child as well. Amae had remembered what her husband had told her. Male or female, the eighth child was going to be their last. Her heart broken, she wrapped the child up in a blanket and asked the high priestess to enter the room.

A smile curled upon Amae's lips as the high priestess entered the room. In an instant, Amae had decided to once again lie about the nature of her children. She looked up to the high priestess and declared boldly, "This child is a girl."

* * *

**Author's note:** Hello there, the original plot for this fanfiction was actually the history I had written out for playing Orochimaru at a LJ RP--so if the general plot seems a bit familiar, that's where it came from. If you have no idea what this scribble is referring to, disregard.

Anyway, I haven't written a fanfiction in forever. By forever, I mean more than five years. Please forgive rustiness with writing. 

Oh, and by the way...**to be continued.  
**... when I feel like it.**  
**


	2. Chapter 2

Amae, Orochimaru's mother, always kept eagle eyes upon her 'daughter'. Even the boy's father wasn't aware of the secret held between mother and child; he didn't become too involved with Orochimaru's life since he was convinced the child was female. The other villagers weren't suspicious of Amae's behavior, after all, this child had survived infancy—it wasn't seen as unusual for the mother to be too defensive over the child.

* * *

Three years into Orochimaru's lifetime, Amae took him out to visit the great shrine. It was quite the event; the child was dressed up in the appropriate outfit for such a visit. The outfit consisted of few layers worth in kimono, tabi socks, and thick black lacquered geta. At some point, he had managed to wander away from his mother while she made conversation with another shrine maiden.

Orochimaru found a group of children his age. They sat in a circle near some sort of shrubbery, which supported a bunch of bright red flowers in full bloom. The children were picking those flowers, using them to make floral rings and crowns. One of the children had noticed a white liquid substance leak out from a freshly plucked flower, since the substance looked similar to milk; the child stuck the torn end into her mouth.

"Does it taste good?" Orochimaru decided there was no use to watch the group from a distance. These children did not look much different from him. He couldn't think of a reason to separate himself. Those children looked up toward Orochimaru and studied him for a few moments. Then, one child took a blossom and ripped it from the stem, which caused the liquid to ooze. Much like an offering of peace, the child offered the dripping flower to Orochimaru. He reached over and took the plant, making a close inspection of the object… he proceeded to stuff the entire flower into his mouth. Those children leaned closer to watch that incredible act, as Orochimaru found out the taste was hideous and offensive.

"You horrible child, get over here now!" Amae found Orochimaru just in time to watch him stuff the flower into his mouth. As he proceeded to spit the flower out, a thin coat of saliva had dripped down the front of his kimono. Amae took Orochimaru by the collar of the outer kimono, and dragged him away from the group of children. He nearly tripped over his geta while being pulled, but managed to stay standing. "You are not to leave the sight of your mother, Orochimaru." One sole thing refrained Amae from striking the child was the possibility of redness to appear upon his cheek. He was to be presented to the shrine maidens that day, if deemed acceptable he'd begin his training to become Amae's successor. Amae scrubbed vigorously at the saliva which had soaked into the fabric of the kimono. A fine outline from the flower still remained. In frustration, Amae peeled back the outer layer of that kimono and let the sleeves delicately drape from the stiff obi which helped keep the outfit in place. Orochimaru watched silently as his mother fussed with the outfit, the bitter taste of the flower remained stinging upon his tongue. He hadn't said a word to his mother, he simply eyed the dirt ground below.

Amae took her son by the hand, and proceeded into the main entrance of the shrine. There were other mothers with their girls and every girl looked pristine within their chosen outfits. Shrine maidens were woven into the crowds to evaluate the prospective maidens. Despite the fact that Orochimaru refused to smile at the maidens, he was well received. His posture was excellent, he looked at calm and reserved as a porcelain doll. Amae insisted that she'd take him on when given the ranking of apprentice maiden—she couldn't take the risk of other maidens finding out that Orochimaru was not a female child.

* * *

The high priestess approached Amae and Orochimaru after the formal gathering. She kneeled down to Orochimaru then rested her hands upon his cheeks. She had known the family for ages before Orochimaru's birth, the sight of this child brought joy to her heart.

"My, her eyes are beautiful." The high priestess cooed to Orochimaru, then ran her fingers through his silky black hair. "Amae, your daughter may begin her training next week. From now on, Orochimaru is an apprentice shrine maiden. Please teach her well." The high priestess stood, and walked off to other groups of people she needed to address. When the high priestess left, Orochimaru wrinkled his nose in disgust. The high priestess smelled like the flowers which bloomed in the bushes outside, he assumed this woman was hideous and offensive inside.

* * *

**To be continued.**


	3. Chapter 3

Time passed so quickly, Orochimaru was still in the depth of his training by the age of seven. His parents still remained in the pact of keeping one child, but his family was vast. None of them knew his secret. Amae had done well with disciplining Orochimaru into obedience; he hadn't even understood the clear definition of gender.

* * *

The rain fell upon the small mountain village nearly every day in the springtime. These rains did not stop the apprentice shrine maidens from their work. Orochimaru walked down the village's main pathway holding a large jar which contained an offering of blood. He held a parasol in his other hand to shield himself from the rain. Blood was a common offering to the shrine, but he was unaware of the blood's origin. There were rumors of human sacrifice, but it was more likely to be from game serpents hunted in the wild.

Along the way to one of the smaller shrines in the village, Orochimaru slipped and fell on a patch of mud. He wrapped his arms around the jar tightly. Not a drop of blood spilled out of the jar, which was a blessing. The high priestess would whip him for spoiling a sacrifice. He set his parasol on the ground, and set the jar beneath the parasol. Orochimaru stood and outstretched his arms toward the sky, allowing the rain to wash away the mud on his outfit. The rain wasn't strong enough to wash the mud away. He noticed the river nearby, the great river which made civilization possible in these mountains. This was also the river in which his younger brothers were drown.

Orochimaru walked to the bank of the river, and dressed down the hanjuban worn beneath his soiled clothing. He gathered his garments within both his arms and walked into the river. He allowed the clothing to soak in the cold waters, as he tried to shake the mud off the garments completely.

Orochimaru felt the sensation of something strange grasping his arms. He originally thought it was simply the cold waters rushing past his arms. Ghastly apparitions of infant children rose from the waters; he felt them try to pull him in. Orochimaru vocalized a scream which echoed through the entire village. He stumbled backward and crawled up the river bank.

Despite losing a sandal and wearing nothing but the kimono undergarment, Orochimaru ran the entire way home. He slammed the house's door shut and yanked a blanket out of the closet.

"Orochimaru, what on earth is wrong with you?" Amae had been home at the time, cooking the evening meal for her family. Orochimaru threw the blanket over his shoulders then turned toward his mother.

"Babies tried to pull me into the river! I went in the water to wash off my clothes… little babies in the river tried to pull me underneath!" Orochimaru visibly winced after his explanation. He drew the blanket over his head, knowing his mother might decide to strike him for yelling. Amae stared at her son in disbelief. She had never told Orochimaru about the truth of his brothers. Not even replying to Orochimaru's story, she left the house for the main shrine.

* * *

The next day, Orochimaru was visited by the high priestess. The high priestess took Orochimaru back to that riverbank. She gathered the jar of blood into her arms, and turned back to face Orochimaru.

"You were feeling guilty about slacking off instead of getting your duties done on time." The high priestess placed the jar back into Orochimaru's arms. "It was a figment of your imagination, child, you tell your mother you do not need an exorcism." The high priestess left his side after the command.

Orochimaru wasn't about to idle anywhere near the river, he was sure there was no reason to feel guilty about cleaning his soiled clothing. He rushed off to the smaller shrine, he didn't bother to scowl in the high priestess' direction.


	4. Chapter 4

As the years passed, Orochimaru became more independent—and further alienated from his peers. He had not made strong bonds with any of the other maiden. While other shrine maidens were too self conscious to perform public rituals alone, Orochimaru had the confidence he could make offerings on his own without minding the fact that he was being watched. He also took the less auspicious roles in the many plays the shrine performed. He took a liking to playing characters which were vengeful; his favorite plays included one in which an over zealous lover was thrown into the pit of hell after death, and another in which the main character transforms into a serpent demon and ends up breathing fire upon a defenseless priest.

During one morning, Orochimaru had arrived to the village's main shrine to find the high priestess absent. He had a favor to request on behalf of his mother. Since he couldn't stray too far, Orochimaru wandered around the courtyard of the shrine. He found a rather large branch which had fallen from a tree. The branch was just around the size of a warrior's sword. He picked the branch up off the ground, and swung the branch back and forth a few times. Yes, this was exactly like a sword. He held the new found object in his hand, and dragged it along as he walked toward one of the several smaller shrines enclosed within the courtyard walls. Large statues of fearsome snakes marked the outside tori of these small shrines, many of them belonged to influential families within the village.

Orochimaru held the branch in hand while gazing at the statue. He concluded that the snake was ugly. There was no pattern to the scales, the fangs were too long, and the eyes lacked the distinct slit pupils which made serpent's eyes unique. That branch was now a sword in Orochimaru's eyes, and he ran toward the statue—at least, as quickly as he could without tripping over his kimono. He began to strike at the snake using the stick, in ways that the old legends had told how warriors should fight. The worst damage he inflicted was causing one of the fangs to chip.

A voice spoke up behind Orochimaru. The voice sounded like it belonged to an old woman. "I hope you don't treat us serpents in the same manner." He dropped the branch immediately and turned around. There wasn't a single person in sight. Orochimaru felt something brush up against his ankle, he looked down to find a snake. It was similar to the snakes kept in the shrine, her scales were a beautiful hue of violet and her head adorned tiny horns.

"You talked?" Orochimaru kneeled down to the snake. His fingers slid across the smooth scales upon the snake's head, and before he could touch a horn the snake drew its head back.

"We talk as much as we please, but we are very particular about who we choose to talk to." The snake started to slither toward the small shrine. Beckoned by the serpent's tail, Orochimaru followed the snake as she slithered up a steep staircase to a small gravestone near an altar. The snake coiled around a burrow in the loose soil of the new grave, which most likely concealed an urn. A few tiny serpents sprouted like seedlings from the soil, only to be concealed in the mother's coils. Orochimaru sat next to the grave, and smiled lightly as he watched the hatchlings.

Orochimaru commented, "You picked an odd spot to have your babies." He'd heard of snakes being born into the world from desires of revenge by the dead, but he'd never seen the allegory in a literal sense. It was amusing to him.

"I was locked out of the cages in the shrine, you see. I had no other choice. I quite like the outdoor life, but unfortunately I have no means to feed these children." Orochimaru rose to his feet. He knew the conversation was more of a request; he set out to find something fit for young snakes. Of course, he had conveniently forgotten about the favor his mother sent him out for.

Orochimaru's search began at the riverside. He had tried sticking his hands down into burrows of rodents, but this method wasn't successful. He saw a spawn of very young fish swirling in a whirlpool on the river's bank. Orochimaru untied the hat he wore and carefully walked down to the bank to scoop some of those small fish out of the whirlpool. He was hesitant, since the memory of what happened the last time he entered these waters was still fresh in his mind. Once his hat was full with fish, he made his way back to the shrine.

Many of the fish he caught were still alive as he climbed the steep staircase to the grave. He started to pick out the live fish, and thrown them to the hungry hatchlings which gladly accepted the meal. The dead fish were left to the mother, who knew well that they were still suitable for eating.

Orochimaru discarded the hat, and sat down near the clutch once again. He watched the family eat, and only spoke up once the mother had finished with her meal. "May I give you a name?"

The mother-snake peered up at Orochimaru. "I don't see the point in giving names. I'll just end up forgetting the name." Orochimaru frowned slightly at the remark; to him a name was something to be proud of—then, he wondered if there ever would be a time in his life in which he'll forget his own name. The mother-snake noticed Orochimaru's expression. "You humans are so sensitive. You all cling so desperately to such inane things; you'll just lose it all in the long run."

Orochimaru didn't know what to say after hearing that. "May I stay for awhile?"

The snake heaved a long yawn, and then coiled around her clutch of hatchlings. She spoke no reply, but Orochimaru was allowed to assume his presence was not bothersome.


	5. Chapter 5

Every few days, Orochimaru returned to the family altar which hosted the family of snakes. He was reliable in delivering food for the hatchling snakes; which were kept alive to bring out the hunting instinct within. The mother snake watched Orochimaru closely as he took one of the hatchlings and allowed the snake to wrap around his arm.

"Your children are becoming large," Orochimaru commented as the snake slithered toward the ground. The mother did not speak while she rubbed her dry scales against the nearby tomb marker. After a pause of silence, she replied.

"...Yes. They are growing quite fast. Soon, they must find a home of their own." Orochimaru watched as the mother snake struggled to shed her own skin. He reached over and raked his fingernails down the snake's scales, until he uprooted enough dry skin to hold on. His fingers held back the skin as the mother shed for the first time after bearing eggs. The mother snake continued to speak while she shed. "If young master wishes; you may take them back to the holy shrine."

Those gold-hue eyes left the family of snakes to take in the surroundings. The smaller family shrines provided plenty of hiding places for serpents and the vermin they preyed upon. "Perhaps some could live at my family's shrine," Orochimaru suggested, "But there's not a lot of room there. Graves take up all the space."

The mother snake shifted her eyes up to Orochimaru, and then spoke. "You must have many great uncles to fill up such a shrine with graves."

His shoulders lifted to shrug in place of a reply. "Mother told me seven of my older siblings were chosen as sacrifices. There needed to be room made for proper graves." The mother snake knew there hadn't been a command for sacrifices in decades—certainly not the amount of time the boy's mother was fertile.

If snakes were capable of scowling, the mother snake would've given Orochimaru a glare he'd never forget. "Take me to your family's shrine."

Orochimaru scooped the mother snake in both his arms. She slithered behind his shoulders to help offset some of her weight. As the mother snake commanded, Orochimaru took her down to the shrines which housed the villager's ancestors: and ultimately, his family. A literal city of dead, some of the shrines were adorned with skulls of ancestors who were laid to rest before cremation was a common practice.

His family was comparatively poorer than some, and many ancestors needed to be placed in a mass grave as to allow proper graves to suit the dead which were supposedly sacrificed. Orochimaru set the mother snake down before those seven elaborate grave markers. "Hurry off to your family. The sun will set soon."

"I'd rathe--," Orochimaru's reply was cut off as the mother snake gathered herself in coils before lifting her head well up off the ground. This was a fearsome sight to behold, as the mother snake was large and quite powerful.

"I made a polite suggestion first. Now, I am ordering you to leave here." Orochimaru took one step back after the mother snake made her demands clear. He turned around abruptly and started walking home. He traveled at a quicker pace, as that was the first time the snake shown him any sign of aggression.

The mother snake watched as Orochimaru departed from the shrines. She slithered toward those seven graves. Her body coiled around one of those elaborate grave markers before she started to push away the dirt that had settled upon the grave for so many years. The task of burrowing to the grave's contents was difficult—only made slightly easier when she could use the horns placed upon her head to aid her.

She spent the night investigating the contents of those graves; the mother snake took in the scent of the dirt around urns. Only a faint smell of ashes was present. This was not the amount of scent urns with remains left behind—the mother snake had enough reason to be suspicious of the claims made to her beforehand.

Dawn broke at the moment the mother snake emerged from the chain of burrows she left among the graves. Her tongue flicked out to take in Orochimaru's scent from the day beforehand. She slithered down the path he used to head home, as she had a few things to question Orochimaru about.


End file.
